Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata AgassizLegler, John M.
Science
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz
Legler, John M.
Ornate box turtle
One subdivision of the main pasture, the northwest corner area, is an
example of a relatively small natural area in which many individual
box turtles had home ranges. This tract of 28 acres was roughly
triangular and was bordered on two sides by rock fences that contained
no gates or other passageways. On its third (southeastern) side the
area sloped into a deep ravine. Habitat in this subdivision of the
pasture (as well as in the other two subdivisions) was especially
favorable for box turtles because of permanent water, rocky slopes,
ravines, and several fruit trees. Box turtles usually foraged near the
rock fences and the ravine (where dung was more abundant than in other
parts of the area), and tended, as they foraged, to move parallel to
these barriers. Turtles crossing the area eventually came either to
one of the fences or the ravine. Therefore, most of the turtles in the
northwest corner area eventually completed a circuit of the area.
Turtles that came to the ravine tended to move along its bottom or
sides. Several turtles were known to cross the ravine and to forage in
the grassy area on its southeastern side. These turtles usually
re-entered the ravine by way of smaller side-ravines. Of 22 box
turtles known to have home ranges in the northwest corner area, only
two individuals (both gravid females) were known to leave the area in
the period in which observations were made.
Two other subdivisions of the main pasture--the house pond area and
the southern ravine area--although not so distinct as the northwest
corner area in terms of limiting barriers, nevertheless constituted
separate areas of favorable habitat, each of which contained a number
of individual home ranges. Although the two areas were not far apart,
but little movement was observed of turtles from one area to the
other. The home range of only one turtle, an adult female, was known
to include parts of both areas.
Unbroken expanses of tall grass seem not to be optimum habitat. The
crest of the hill at the Damm Farm (Pl. 17, Fig. 1) was an area of
more or less homogeneous grassy habitat. Turtles were seldom found on
the crest of the hill although this area was as thoroughly searched
for turtles as any other area. Known home ranges of nearly every
individual observed were on either one of the sides of the hill but
not on both sides.
At several places on the border of the pasture, turtles were able to
move freely into cultivated areas but seldom did so except for
nesting. Trailing records show that most of the turtles that entered
one of the cultivated areas returned again to the pasture.
Ornate box turtles seem to find places of shelter by trial and error
along regularly used routes of travel in their home ranges. The
individuals that I studied never returned to the same forms, and
seldom returned to the same natural burrows and dens. Probably
foraging, basking, and watering sites are found also by trial and
error.
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